Review
Started the year exploring how to keep Jesus Christ out front in our lives in 2008.
Last week look at the significance of the church.
As we continue to look ahead - had this thought …
In many ways a new year is a door or a gate into a future filled with the unknown, whether good or bad, but holding possibilities and opportunities for us to step into and experience.
Through a strong relationship with God and faith, we can open up those possibilities and opportunities.
Cyrus- A Man Before His Time
Isaiah 45:1-3 (read)
Cyrus- man called by God many years before his birth
Isa 45:3 "I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.
Michael Q. Pink- prophetic word- 1/2/2008 …
There are many treasures hidden in darkness waiting for you and me to discover. They are not lying on the path but rather in the hidden places, requiring light and diligence to find.
What are these treasures? It could be a new invention, a cure for cancer, alternative fuels, a book, a song.
Will we be light that brings these treasures to- world?
I believe God wants to entrust those treasures to His children. But we have to be seekers, searching early for wisdom, watching daily at His gates. Michael Q. Pink
Who- going to find these treasures? Seekers/watchers.
Lk 11:5-13
A Special Trust in God (David Wilkerson)
As we look through the gate into the year 2008 it is filled with unknowns- hard/easy, good/bad?
Many say God is going to bring judgment on our nation for our arrogance/immorality/violence.
Whether these prophetic words …
are true or not true,
will happen in our life time or not?
If I were to point to any one thing that might bring God’s judgment- I would look at abortion.
Let me take a small detour here … (SOHL insert)
Story of Cyrus tells something about when life begins.
Isaiah talks about Cyrus many years before his birth.
Isa 44:28 "It is I who says of Cyrus, ’He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.’
Like Cyrus- God knows you and I long before we are even conceived in our mother’s womb (Psa 139).
Jesus- when talking about separating sheep/goats …
Mtt 25:34 … ’Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. NASU
Life begins at conception, but we were a person, conceived in God’s heart, long before conception.
There is no doubt- abortion is killing a person God created to live- a person with a destiny to fulfill.
World- abortions- 46 million/yr, 126,000/day
US- abortions- 1.37 million/yr, 3700/day
93% of abortions occur for social reasons-
unwanted or inconvenient pregnancies.
US- Since 1972- over 49 million abortions
My concern for the US …
Nu 35:33 "Don’t pollute the land in which you live. Murder pollutes the land. The land can’t be cleaned up of the blood of murder except through the blood of the murderer. MSG
If, how, or when God will judge us is unknown.
A Special Trust in God (continued)
During 2008 our nation may experience some strong storms- when they come will we be shaken?
Every Christian claims to believe in the Lord.
Most Christians have a general trust in God.
Heb 13:5 … "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER
FORSAKE YOU," NASU
Rom 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. NASU
We understand God’s promises in the general sense.
But do we know how to apply them specifically when trouble comes our way?
In Bible- there are many promises that deal w/specific situations we might encounter- do we know them?
The promises mean nothing apart from the God.
Are we taking time to cultivate a relationship with the living God of the promises?
When storms come, will we be able to
connect His Word w/our problems and
connect with the God who spoke that word?
The Puritans … said every promise of the Lord is a holy argument. They believed a Christian should not come before the Lord with just a general faith. David Wilkerson
They believed Christians needed to know how to come to God w/requests relevant to their situation.
Psa 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.
Implication- those who have learned to …
pour out their hearts to God in prayer and
have built their lives on His Word
will be able to stand in difficult times.
We cannot expect to cry out to God only in time of crisis and He hear us and we be able to stand.
Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. NASU
We must be pursuing God regularly before calamity comes to be able to stand when it comes.
David learned to cry out to God daily and could say-
2 Sam 22:7 " In my distress I called upon the Lord, Yes, I cried to my God; And from His temple He heard my voice, And my cry for help came into His ears. NASU
Consider the story of Abraham …
Genesis 12:1-2, 15:1
That sounds good, no problem …
Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. NASU
God asked of Abraham to obey Him and step out into the unknown with his entire family.
All Abraham had was a promise from God.
God did not give Abraham a detailed plan.
Abraham was expected to obey God w/no explanation of what he might encounter on the way.
Abraham had to go through deserts, mountains, and countries filled with people who did not like him.
It would not be an easy path Abraham had to go down
Just because God tells us to do something, that does not mean it will be without trouble.
When Abraham first obeyed God- packing up/leaving his home- this was only the 1st of many steps along
the way where he would have to trust God.
One act of obedience does not add up to a walk of obedience. David Wilkerson
When God asks us to do something- not a single event
God is calling us to a walk that will take a life time.
Part of our problem in trusting God is our affections.
Our affections make it difficult for us to
let go of things and lay things down
so we can focus our lives on God.
Our affections bribe our discernments. Puritans
There may be areas in our lives right now in which God is trying to prepare us for the future.
What seems difficult now may be stretching and growing our faith so we can handle the future.
What may not make much sense now may make total sense later.
Conclusion
Do not know what 2008 might hold personally/nation.
This is a time, as Paul instructs Timothy, to …
Fight the good fight of faith;
take hold of the eternal life
to which you were called … 1 Tim 6:12
In this way we will be able to embrace the possibilities and opportunities God has for us.
We do live in serious times and we must prepare ourselves NOW for the FUTURE.
(Many thoughts for this sermon come from an article written by David Wilkerson entitled, These Times Demand Special Trust)
